My SC has no serial tag. I understand that the serial number on the engine is not necessarily the same as the tractor. Using the engine, trans and rear end numbers and dates, is there anyway I can find out what the serial number for the tractor is?

You can coem up with an approxiamte serial, but not necessarily the roiginal one. All of the old records (if they ever existed) connecting engien serial numbers to tractor serial numbers are no longer available. the engien serial number will be a little higher than the tractor number, and the casting codes are the same across all the IH equipment, not matter whether it is cub, super C, Or M.

Casting codes can help you determine when the parts were cast at the foundry, but not when the tractor was assembled. Engine serial number can get you CLOSE, but not real close, to the original serial number.

Basically, you're out of luck finding the ORIGINAL serial number, unless you can trace the tractor back to its original owner, and/or the dealer it came from. If the original owner isn't long since passed on, and/or the dealer long since gone out of business, you have a slim chance that they kept a copy of the original bill of sale for your tractor. On that bill of sale will be the original serial number.

As best as I can tell, based on the tractor registry on YT and my engine ser# 203162, it is a '54 model. I guess that is what I'll have to settle for. The date codes are around March of the year Z. No one seems to know what year that is.
Thanks for the help!

That would not be unusual Johnny. The castings all were cast and some had a lengthy cure time. In either case, castings are sub-assemblies that sat in inventory until needed on the production line. So tractors produced in 51 could easily have castings made in 50 that had sat in storage until needed. Typically, they would have been built early in the year using stuff produced late the previous year.

BigdogIf you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.

Make sure you're looking at casting codes, not the part numbers... Casting codes are "00 11 X" which indicate month, day, year. Part numbers are like 12345678R90, where R stands for "revision." Both numbers are cast into the block, whereas the serial number is stamped on a machined flat spot.

I am having trouble seeing the casting date, but on the left side, as you are sitting on it, there is an S on a flat spot, I dont' think this tractor is all original, so that is my problem i think, alot of stuff has been welded etc oh well, for 200$ i can't complain